Perfect attendance

Hoboken eighth grader hasn’t missed a day of school

Max Tamarkin, 13, who has attended the Elysian Charter School in Hoboken since kindergarten, is about to graduate from eighth grade without ever having missed a day of school.
But has he even been late to class?
“They said once,” said his father, music writer Jeff Tamarkin, last month. “He leaves the house on time every day. We know that.”
“Sometimes I feel sick but I get better during the day,” Max said.
Max, who was accepted to one of the county’s public high schools, High Tech High, for next year, talked about his perfect record recently.

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“We are simply delighted that he is such a healthy kid!” – Caroline Leavitt
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He noted that until a few years ago, his school used to give awards to kids who had perfect attendance each year. They stopped the practice when they apparently realized that it might encourage kids to bring contagious diseases, like swine flu, to school.
But Max said he’s never felt pressured for perfect attendance.
“I never really thought much about it,” Max said last week. “I never set out to have perfect attendance. I didn’t even realize I was doing it till about fifth grade. I just never got sick or had any other reason to stay home from school.”
Max’s mom, novelist Caroline Leavitt, said, “We never pressured Max, and we are simply delighted that he is such a healthy kid!”
Max said he chose to be a vegetarian when he was very young and his parents, both veggies, gave him the choice. However, he may have “accidentally sort of” eaten a snack with pepperoni in it once.

Almost didn’t make it

Regarding Max’s perfect attendance, his father said, “There was one time he almost didn’t make it. He woke up feeling really sick. At breakfast he was okay. Walking past Church Square Park, he felt sick, and then he was okay before lunch. He made it in time to be counted.”
Max said he has been sent home early a few times when he got sick at school, including an incident involving pinkeye.
“I think a few times, the whole class had lice,” said his father. “The wonderful things that happen in elementary school.”
Max said that in his free time, he plays guitar and piano, as well as recreational soccer. A lifelong Hoboken resident, he and his friends hang out at Pizza Republic, 7-11, Charrito’s, and try out the demo versions of video games at the Game Stop.
He said he doesn’t want to be a writer like his parents. Jeff Tamarkin has published “Got a Revolution,” a biography of the rock group Jefferson Airplane. Leavitt has authored eight novels and has a ninth coming out in November, “Pictures of You.”
“He sees how hard we work,” Leavitt laughed.
Max said that instead, he hopes to study science.
He said Elysian has been a good fit for him.
“It’s a small school, so there’s a lot of attention given,” he said. “The classes are small.”
So what about high school – will Max keep up his perfect attendance record?
“I’ll try,” he said.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.

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